At only ten years, little Erica is struggling to become a grown up and take care of her two siblings after her mother succumbed to pregnancy-related complication. The doctor had said that the baby should be terminated but did not happen because of the firm religious inclination of Erica and her extended family. The story of Erica is replicated many times over in many American families and all over the world. For one reason or the other, abortion is denied and adverse consequences follow. A careful study of most of these reasons will show that they have little or anything to do with either the mother or the child. However, the adverse consequences will almost always have something to do with either the child, the mother or both. Based mainly on either ignorance or hypocrisy, many people have made a vigorous argument when it comes to the subject of abortion yet most among them will never be in the shoes of either the mother who needs an abortion or the child who has to be forced into this world under impossible circumstances. So long as the focus remains on the bone of contention related to the issue of abortion, it is clear to all that abortion must be a fundamental right for all mothers.
On the 22nd day of January 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States forever settled any and all issues relating to the legality of abortion. This was the celebrated case of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) (Rosenbaum, 2016). The main ratio decidendi of the case was making it illegal for states to control on which trimester an abortion should be allowed. The entirety of the case was to allow not only for the allowance abortion based on the mother’s decision but also to quell any debates about it once the mother has made her decision. The Supreme Court based this decision on the right to privacy by the mother. Sexual contact is one of the most secretive activities in the world, more so within a civilized society. It is also factual that sex happens almost all the time in humans, mainly as a consequence of primal and social inclinations. Whereas the act of sex itself can be hidden, when a woman becomes pregnant she has to carry the evidence that she has had sex openly for all to see for years (Rosenbaum, 2016). Women must be allowed to decide whether or not they need to endure this by deciding at the earliest convenience if they want to have an abortion. If abortions are going to be restricted, so should having sex.
In the Episcopal Church, once a child is born, a thanksgiving service is conducted prior to the baptism of the child. Traditionally, this thanksgiving service is meant to thank God for saving the mother from death during the process of childbirth. The World Health Organization estimates that over three hundred thousand women die in childbirth or soon before or after childbirth due to related complications. No one is more aware of this fact than the mother. A pregnant woman will, therefore, always be psychologically primed just as a soldier who is about to be in the vanguard of a vicious battle (Stavena et al, 2015). The thought of the possibility of death will always be alive creating massive psychological damage. Over and above the apprehension itself, death is also an active possibility, more so for those who cannot afford premium healthcare. For those who can afford premium healthcare, the chances of death are minimized but not eliminated.
Even without death, there are very high chances of maiming and permanent injury during the process of pregnancy and childbirth. Episiotomy has become a common procedure during vaginal childbirth to make it easier for both mother and child during the hollowing process. The wound from the cut is always hard to heal and also extremely painful (Ganchimeg et al, 2014). The alternative to episiotomy is this muscular segment tearing by itself with devastating health consequences including the tear going all the way to the anus thus requiring reconstructive surgery. Another alternative is shunning vaginal birth for a caesarian section which also involves a massive operation that leaves behind a large wound to heal (Ganchimeg et al, 2014). All these dangerous processes are vital because motherhood is primary to the survival of the human species. However, no one should be compelled to go through the same without their own choice. At any period during the pregnancy, it must be available even for a willing mother to change her mind and opt for an abortion.
Polgreen (2005) gives one of the saddest stories in modern history relating to the Darfur conflict in the Northern African country of Sudan. In an effort to eliminate or minimize the black tribes in Sudan, a barbarian approach of systematically killing black men and raping black women by men of Arabic origin was hatched. This would ensure that the next generations in the black communities would develop a light hue. Little girls as young of fifteen were then condemned to give birth to children sired by the men who killed their fathers and brothers then repeatedly rxxed them. It would be easy to imagine that this is the kind of thing that only happens in barbarian Africa but rxxe is also a common occurrence in the USA more so in the poorer neighborhoods. Many American girls have been forced to give birth to children who always bring back the memory of the brutal attack that resulted in the birth of the child. In some cultures, the rapist is ‘punished’ by being forced to marry the hapless victim of the rxxe, a fact that now censures continuous rxxe of the child from then one. Those who advocate restrictions on abortion cannot be considered to be different from those who cause the rxxe victim to be married to the rapist. In both instances, the psychological impact is kept alive for life.
In spite of the debate about abortions, hundreds of thousands of abortions happen in the USA annually. Women have, however, not achieved the social status of being freely allowed to choose whether or not to have that abortion. Many women will, therefore, always wonder if they had been allowed a free choice, they would have actually had that baby. The children also learn about the subject as they grow and will sometimes wonder if they were born because their mothers wanted to have them or because they felt compelled to do so by the society. This is a psychologically complex question and will affect both the mother and the child. At the back of their minds, this question will linger and affect the relationship between mother and child, which relationship ought to be the best there is. The existence of a free choice would lead every child to know that the only reason why they were born is that their mothers elected to give birth to them. From the perspective of mothers, a free choice will ensure that unwanted babies do not get to be born thus all babies born get to experience the pure love that comes with motherhood. Abortion should, therefore, be a free choice.
One common antiabortion argument is that if a choice will be made about whether a fetus lives or dies, the input of the fetus is crucial. Secondly, abortion is said to be very painful for the child. Both arguments have been found to be based on a material fallacy or misrepresentation of facts. Having a baby cannot be considered as giving the baby a choice in the matter since once the child is born, there is no choice at all about whether or not to live. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 million people attempt suicide annually with many others suffering suicide ideation (Crosby et al, 2011). It can never be argued that any baby actively desired to be born when millions are seeking the fastest route out of this world.
In conclusion, Abortion must not only be allowed for all those who desire to have it but also their choice to do so must also be jealously protected. It would be unfair for the society to have such a liberal approach towards sex and jealously protect the right of choice in it yet place social or legal barriers on the subject of abortion. This would amount to outright gender discrimination which is an evil unbecoming of this generation. Health reasons, psychological or otherwise also make it fundamental for every woman who is to go through the harrowing experience of pregnancy and childbirth. Any mother should be able to say that I would have wanted to but am too scared thus be allowed to end the process at that point. There are also scenarios such as rxxe where choice is taken away from the mother and only abortions can give it back. Children would also feel more loved if they knew that their mothers chose to have them freely. No one can tell for a fact that any fetus is eager to come to the world when there are so many people of all ages having suicide ideation.
References
- Crosby, A., Han, B., Ortega, L., Parks, S., & Gfroerer, J. (2011, October 21). Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults aged ≥18 Years — United States, 2008-2009. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6013a1.htm
- Ganchimeg, T., Ota, E., Morisaki, N., Laopaiboon, M., Lumbiganon, P., Zhang, J., & Vogel, J. P. (2014). Pregnancy and childbirth outcomes among adolescent mothers: a World Health Organization multicountry study. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 121(s1), 40-48
- Polgreen, L. (2005, February 11). Darfur’s babies of rape are on trial from birth. Retrieved October 14, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/world/africa/darfurs-babies-of-rape-are-on-trial-from-birth.html
- Rosenbaum, S. (2016). The US Supreme Court and the future of reproductive health. The Milbank Quarterly, 94(1), 23-26
- Staneva, A., Bogossian, F., Pritchard, M., & Wittkowski, A. (2015). The effects of maternal depression, anxiety, and perceived stress during pregnancy on preterm birth: a systematic review. Women and Birth, 28(3), 179-193